Half a tonne of rubbish removed

ALMOST half a tonne of rubbish was collected in a day from public areas around the Borough of Queenscliffe (BoQ) as part of the recent Clean Up Australia Day event.

From Stoneman Reserve in Point Lonsdale the team of BOQ councillors, volunteers and Point Lonsdale Surf Lifesaving Club (PLSLSC) members, trawled through surrounding dunes and bushland removing 440 kilograms of dumped rubbish on Sunday, March 6.

“It was never ending, bags upon bags, the more you peeled back the more you found … it’s really disappointing to see how some sections of our coastline are treated,” PLSLC president Charlie Pitney said.

“There was rotten furniture, bags of rubbish, broken glass, and while it was really disappointing it was also really satisfying to clean it all up.”

Volunteers helped separate out recyclables on the day to reduce the amount of rubbish being sent to landfill, including bike wheels, beach toys and a couple of lounge chairs.

“Seeing so many residents lend a helping hand despite the day’s challenging weather really shows what makes this community so special,” BOQ mayor Ross Ebbels said, thanking those who turned out for the cleanup.

Charlie Pitney hopes he and surf club members can continue to help reduce the amount of rubbish that’s discarded in the future.

“I really see our role as a surf lifesaving club, with a target demographic of 17 to 30-year-olds, of training them to act as positive role models.

“Over the summer period when we have a large number of members on patrol, we’ll send over some members to do a rubbish pick up in the area.

“We appreciate it’s a beautiful place to be and see a sunset, but it’s also about caring for the community and environment.”